Social media really allows us to see how other people view & experience the world, to help us understand that our individual perspectives are limited, & yet folks still want to insist that their way of living/thinking is supreme rather than just one of many ways of doing things.
That friendship breakups thread has hundreds of responses & thousands of retweets from folks really identifying with & being touched by it, sharing their own vulnerable stories & connecting with each other. So many important life lessons hidden there.
And yet a handful of folks got on to say not simply “this is not my experience” but rather trying to make folks feel bad for having feelings, attempting to say grieving a lost friend means you were romantically/sexually involved, or saying folks just need better friends.
Why? What is achieved by this? Why do some people only seem to feel good if they can denigrate others? I see the way social media connects us, makes us feel not alone, some really only want to use it to compare these glimpses of our lives in a competitive way.
I more than doubled my followers this year so I’ve had to learn how to handle not just the straight up hateful trolls but also the sad ones, the hurting ones, the ones who seek attention, affirmation & digital therapy here. I’ve learned & grown so much because of it.
So even though sometimes I snap when they hit me at the wrong time, I’m really trying to be more discerning about who I engage & how in the hopes that sometimes we can actually help each other learn & do/be better.
Final thought: thank goodness for the mute button bc some folks will keep trying to antagonize even when you’ve stopped engaging. It’s a real combo of “You’re so vain, you probably think this tweet is about you” & “why you so obsessed with me.” Sigh. Time for brunch. Bye bbs!
